Improvement in gathering attachments for sewing-machines



No. 111,458 PATBNTED JAN.31, 1871.

A. & W. T. JOHNSTON. GATHERING ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALLEN JOHNSTON AND YVILLIANI T. J OHHSTON, OF OTTUMVA, IOYVA.

IMPROVEMENT IN GATHERING ATTACHMENTS FOR SEWING-MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 111,458, dated January 3 1871.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ALLEN J ()HNSTON and WILLIAM T. JOHNSTON, of Ottumwa, in the county of TVapello and in the State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gathering Attachments for Sewing- Machines; and do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, making a part of this specification.

The nature of our invention consists in the construction and arrangement'of a gathering attachment for sewing-machines, and is intended as an improvement upon the patent for a similar device granted to Allen Johnston October 18, 1870.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which our invention appertains to make and use the same, we will now proceed to describe its construction and operation, referring to the annexed drawing, which represents a perspective View of our improved gathering attachment.

A represents the bed-plate, and B the sliding plate, which is held to the bed-plate by means of beaded rivets or screws a a passing through slots 1) b in the plate B. (J is the spring, having a turnedup slotted point, and connected, by an arm, with the sliding plate B. These parts are con'stracted and operate in the same manner as described in the patent' of Allen Johnston, above referred to. 1) is a bent arm, pivoted to the inner side of a turn edup ear or flange at or near the rear end of the bed-plate A. The end of the arm D is forked, as shown, to pass over the'needle-screw, causing it to be carried up and down with the motion of the needle-bar. d is the smaller part of said arm, which part extends into a slotted piece, 6, attached to the sliding plate B. The movement of the. plate B, and consequently, also, the gather or ruffling, is regulated in length by means of a bent lever, G, pivoted on the sliding plate, one end of which lever passes under the slotted plate e. The other end of the lever G is moved either to the right or left, and held at any point desired, by means of a small projection on its under side fitting into notches orrecesses made in upper face of the sliding plate B. To the bed-plate A is secured an arm, H, which passes above the sliding plate B at or near its front end, and has a spring, I, attached to its outer end. This spring is directly above the spring 0, and its forward end slotted and bent, or curved slightly downward, to prevent the gather from sliding back when the spring 0 moves backward. The goods to be gathered pass between the two springs.

Having thus fully described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is r l. The reciprocating spring 0, having its outer end slotted and turned upward, in combination with the stationary spring I, placed.

above the former spring, and having its outer end slotted and turned downward, substan tially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

2. The sliding plate B and its adjustinglever G, when combined and arranged with the slotted piece 6 and lover D, substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

3. The combination of the bed-plate A, sliding plate B, with spring 0, levers D and G arm H, and spring I, all constructed and arranged as described, to operate substan tially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

Intestimony that we claim the foregoing we have hereunto set our hands this 25th day of October, 1870.

ALLEN JoHNsToN. WILLIAM T. JonNsToN.

W'itnesses:

EDWIN WHITE, J o. 1). TEMPLE. 

